Night Rainbow | Global Rainbow New Haven

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Site Projects presented our 2013 public art commission: Night Rainbow | Global Rainbow New Haven, a laser light sculpture by American artist Yvette Mattern, to kick-off citywide celebrations of the 375th Anniversary of New Haven. The exhibition ran for four consecutive nights, beginning April 24th, 2013.

Photo Credit: Harold Shapiro

The artwork utilizes specially-designed lasers to project a large-scale abstraction of the natural rainbow. Originating from the top of East Rock Park, the beams crossed above the Green, Interstate Highway 95, West Haven and finally diminished to a colorful glow over Long Island Sound.

Night Rainbow | Global Rainbow New Haven:

During the four-night projection, people were drawn from one neighborhood to the next, investigating the changes in the cityscape below as well as in the form itself. Although the Rainbow was visible from many locations in and around the City, the form changed depending on where the viewer stood. For a community perspective on the Rainbow, visit our Facebook page.

Global Rainbow, by Yvette Mattern(2009 – 2013) :

Global Rainbow was initially created for one-night projection with limited technology in New York City on MLK Day in 2009. The artwork has since been exhibited in: Berlin (From One to Many); Toulouse and Nantes, France and Utrecht, Netherlands. Global Rainbow launched the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in three regions in the UK: the Northeast, Northwest and Northern Ireland. Recently, the artwork was shown in Metz, France and months later, in New York City in collaboration with the Art Production Fund (Global Rainbow: After the Storm).

Has an environmental impact study been done? The end of April is the start of the spring migration for birds, East Rock and the New Haven Coast are right in the middle of the flyway…the birds migrate at night , will this art disorient the birds?

Site Projects is sincere in our efforts to bring public art to New Haven to enrich the community and inspire thought.

From earliest conversations with the artist, Yvette Mattern and the laser production company, Site Projects has sought information related to the use of high specification lasers and harm to wildlife, including birds.
Site Projects contacted several of the commissioning agencies in Europe and New York to see if harm to fauna had been a problem. All responded that concerns were raised prior to the exhibition but no harm to birds or other wildlife was discovered after any of the exhibitions.

We have taken further steps to research nocturnal migrating songbirds and have had several conversations with ornithologists that have allowed us to move forward with confidence. Switched on at dusk, the lasers will operate at an altitude lower than 500’ (below the flying altitude of migrating birds). The exhibit will be turned off at 1am (during the time migrating birds tend to descend).

The questions and concerns raised about migrating birds are all valid, and we believe we have considered them thoroughly. It is in our best interest as an organization, not only to enrich the culture of New Haven, but to do it in a way that will cause no harm.

Below are just a few links that we reviewed as we sought clarity on this topic;

My name is Ralph and I am one of the ecological & wildlife officers for the City of New Haven. The wavelengths for the rainbow light show have been specifically selected so that our friendly migrating birds will not be affected by this week’s art show. Thank you for your concern for our friendly avian community!

REALLY!? Isn’t it enough that our night skies are already polluted with ambient light? Why are you sending the message that the entire public sky is someone’s canvas? The natural sky is far more beautiful, perhaps you should teach that, and how we’ve ruined it already without this irresponsible spectacle. Shining lasers at airplanes, and there is a lot of air traffic in this area, is a federal offense. Now you be encouraging that as well. And how will the lights adversely affect night-time migrating birds, many of whom use East Rock Park as a major respite? I strongly object to this “art”.

I am sure that no one has considered the potential effects of this laser light show on the migrating bird population. Late April and early May are prime migration time and East Rock Park as well as the shore areas of New Haven are a resting place along the route for hundreds of thousands of migrating Warblers. These birds migrate during the night and strong lights on buildings and bridges have been shown to interfere with their internal compasses, causing alarming mortality rates when the birds either strike objects in the dark or in confusion circle the lights until they die of exhaustion. These songbirds are already being decimated by loss of habitat and other human hazards. Couldn’t this event have been scheduled at another time when the danger to wildlife would not have been so great? I believe that during late April the laser shows might also effect the nesting populations of some of our endangered shorebird species. Once again the wildlife loses.

This from George Dodworth, President & CEO of Lightwave International;

The lasers are many hundreds of watts. Where one watt is 1000mW, we are using hundreds of thousands of millwatts.

Older lasers, ion lasers, were water cooled. This technology used a very hungry power supply to sustain a several-hundred-volt DC arc down the length of a tube that is filled with a mixture of noble gases (Argon, Krypton, etc) to generate the needed colors. Much as LED’s have revolutionized traditional lighting, a similar solid state laser device is allowing for the types of heat and power savings that other applications are enjoying with LEDs. So these solid state lasers are simply air cooled, but use thermoelectric elements to create a very specific temperature — usually very close to room temperature.

So I’m wondering how much this is costing the city, New Haven has a very high murder rate, and maybe we shouldn’t be wasting money commissioning artist, and instead should allocate our resources to the Police, and Health departments.